Wayland Busby was 54 and living in a tent near South Platte River Drive and Dartmouth Avenue in Denver in November 2016. An acquaintance said Busby kept an old laptop, a phone, a wallet, a couple of watches and other belongings in a blue backpack and may have sold small amounts of marijuana. A park ranger found his body during a routine check; investigators later determined he had been shot and killed during an apparent robbery.

Police say witnesses described a confrontation between Busby and 29-year-old Makhail Anthony Purpera, also known as Mikhail and Pistol Pete. According to those witnesses, Purpera attempted to rob Busby, shot him after Busby awoke, and later bragged about the killing while displaying two spent cartridges. Purpera was arrested by Englewood police on November 12, 2016; officers reportedly found a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson, marijuana and suspected methamphetamine on him. He was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in Busby’s death and held in the Denver Detention Center.

Did anyone in the area know Busby, his routines, or see him in the days before the shooting?